Ugly Brick, don't know what to do...need help


 
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southpaw3229



Joined: 12 Sep 2008
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:37 am    Post subject: Ugly Brick, don't know what to do...need help Reply with quoteFind all posts by southpaw3229

I purchase this home in the midwest, and the brick is ugly. what color should i paint the trim?

should i stain the brick? probaly to expensive

shoudl i just paint the brick white?

http://myclarkston.com/images/ugly.jpg
http://myclarkston.com/images/ugly.jpg
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csintexas
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quoteFind all posts by csintexas

Different strokes for different folks as they say. They look like pretty average brick from that tiny pic. I think you should do whatever you like.
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phansford



Joined: 18 Apr 2004
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Location: SW Ohio

PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 1:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quoteFind all posts by phansford

Once you start painting brick.... then you are painting forever. I don't think I have heard of anyone staining brick, maybe a solid stain would work. You need to talk to a local painter or a mason.

Also - paint is a barrier. You have to make sure you get a breathable paint. Consult your local paint store..... better yet, get the name of the company rep that supports that store and talk to them. You might try emailing Sherwin Williams and pose the question to them.

There isn't enough "Trim" or siding to paint to change the look of the house. I only recommend painting brick as a last resort..... and looking a the photo, the brick color looks fine. But color is a personal taste.

No offense intended, but it you did not like the brick - why buy the house, particularly in the buyer's market we are currently experiencing.
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SDR
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quoteFind all posts by SDR

I support the above. Brick is one of the natural wonders of the building world, and although I've seen ugly brickwork (usually the result of a willful mixing of two incompatible colors in the same wall) this house looks fine to me.

Please live with it for a year before making a decision. The white trim could be made any number of pale tones. Perhaps just the large white gable would look good with a shade that harmonizes or contrasts with the brick color. Some time spent with Photoshop (or prints of that photo, and colored pencils) would be an economical and entertaining way of exploring the possibilities.

Thanks for letting us take a look !

SDR
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lekizz
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quoteFind all posts by lekizz

Bear in mind too that brick tends to age naturally and gracefully. Paint tends to fade, peel, flake, go out of fashion etc. Once you've painted your house it will be virtually impossible to undo. I agree with the others who say your house looks fine. IMO the natural colour of the brick actually goes quite sympathetically with the boulders in the photo.
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scottr303



Joined: 20 Sep 2008
Posts: 5
Location: Garland, Texas

PostPosted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 7:52 pm    Post subject: Ugly Brick Reply with quoteFind all posts by scottr303

I too am generally not in favor of painting brick for the same reasons as stated before. The brick on the house appears to be a color that washes out any detail work. Some brick just do not show the detail well.

A few ideas for your consideration.
    1) replace some of the brick with stone - possibly the entry and another area.
    2)for a more formal look add cast stone at the entry, around the windows, and replace the quoin corners.
    3) add a decorative window or vent in the gable
    4)add a brick or cast stone water table
    5) look at some landscaping to soften the base and break up the expanse of brick


These are only some thoughts to get you thinking.




"Doctors can bury their mistakes.....Architects have to grow ivy over theirs."
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southpaw3229



Joined: 12 Sep 2008
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:16 am    Post subject: Re: Ugly Brick Reply with quoteFind all posts by southpaw3229

Thanks you very much. I think your ideas are very good. It's a given that we are going to landscape, but i didn't think about putting cast stone in. thanks for hte great ideas.




scottr303 wrote:
I too am generally not in favor of painting brick for the same reasons as stated before. The brick on the house appears to be a color that washes out any detail work. Some brick just do not show the detail well.

A few ideas for your consideration.
    1) replace some of the brick with stone - possibly the entry and another area.
    2)for a more formal look add cast stone at the entry, around the windows, and replace the quoin corners.
    3) add a decorative window or vent in the gable
    4)add a brick or cast stone water table
    5) look at some landscaping to soften the base and break up the expanse of brick


These are only some thoughts to get you thinking.




"Doctors can bury their mistakes.....Architects have to grow ivy over theirs."
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SDR
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 12:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quoteFind all posts by SDR

Putting cast stone or other new masonry trim "in" means either sticking it "on," or tearing out brick around openings or elsewhere to replace existing brick with new material. Either course will be expensive, especially the latter -- even in the event that this brick is a veneer, rather than solid masonry.

Lipstick on a pig ? But this "pig" is really quite done already, and not ugly at all (in my opinion).

Doing something to the woodwork, including the items offered by Scott, and the landscaping, should be enough to "make it your own" (which is often what we are really trying to do when we remodel a newly-acquired home, I think. . .).


SDR
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djswan
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 2:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quoteFind all posts by djswan

What about that ugly roof? Is it possible to grow ivy over that?
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SDR
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 3:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quoteFind all posts by SDR

I'm trying to read the apparent difference in datum between the windows to the left of the tall central element and those to the right of it. The right-hand windows appear to be a bit lower. One way to make sense of that is that the left-most bay is forward of the right-hand one, in plan. This in turn would explain why the roof had to be treated differently over the left-hand bay. A case of letting the plan get ahead of the exterior treatment, during the design phase ?

SDR
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barryhunter



Joined: 14 Dec 2007
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:45 pm    Post subject: Paint Reply with quoteFind all posts by barryhunter

If you want to paint the brick use a good quality exterior latex. Not saying you should or should not paint, but if you do paint it use a good quality latex paint.
I like the brick you have, but I also like painted brick.
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SDR
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quoteFind all posts by SDR

I know next to nothing of paints, but I'm a bit surprised to hear latex recommended over traditional material. Can you explain why latex is better in this case ?



SDR
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Jimbobidybone



Joined: 18 Jun 2009
Posts: 17
Location: Derby, UK

PostPosted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 6:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quoteFind all posts by Jimbobidybone

Here's a simple one, how about rendering the entirety of the Gable that acts as a porch and return it back to the brickwork on the front elevation,that would break up the large brick expanse and wouldn't cost a fortune, might be worth like SDR said testing it in photoshop first, but I think that would be pretty effective, If you have the spare pennies maybe rebuild that gable with some sort of stone.

Lol just had another look at the pic, I'd deffinately say that gable being brick is the issue! again purely down to taste.

If you ever get any random spare cash and decide to extend I'd suggest looking at a loft conversion in the part of the building to the right of the pic as some sort of dormer would break up the large expanse of roof over that section.

Hope this helps and gives you a few more ideas ;p

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barryhunter



Joined: 14 Dec 2007
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Sun Oct 11, 2009 4:53 pm    Post subject: Cast stone for facade Reply with quoteFind all posts by barryhunter

Again, I am not saying you should or should not paint, but to answer the question about latex paint (now more often referred to as acrylic latex or just acrylic) they are water based, relatively benign and easy to apply.
As far as applying stone or cast stone as "scottr303" suggested above, you might consider a GFRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete) or cast GFRS. Thinner and lighter than cast stone is.
Try:
http://www.strombergarchitectural.com/materials/gfrc-glossary
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